What is simple living?

There seems to be a "simple living" revolution going on. People all over the world are simplifying their lives, or, they want to. But what is it? How do we know when we have reached the simple life?

Some people think the simple life is getting back to nature, living exclusively off the land and using electricity they make themselves. Others see it as not buying the latest fashion or must have gadget. Others see it as being minimalists and to do without things. Others fall somewhere between everything.

All of the above are definitions of the simple life. The simple life is what you make of it and what you see for yourself. I am still working on my definition. I am sure my definition will change as my life does. Right now I cannot do all the things that I want to as part of what I think the simple life is. My reality is three children six years of age and under. My schedule is governed by theirs. I can only get done what I can. Right now, making everything from scratch might not be feasible, but I can make what I can. We are living on one income and land around here is rather expensive, living on acreage is not possible, so having hens or a huge garden isn't in the cards, but I can have a small one. This year my garden was one tomato plant in a pot. (The idea of getting my garden going while I had a three month old did not seem all that great to me this year.)

I think that is the great thing about the simple life. You can mould it to fit your situation. It is an organic thing, not a rigid box you are trying to fit into. It is not an all or nothing obligation. It is about finding out what is important to you and then doing it.

So far my definition includes making what food I can from scratch, cutting down on garbage by recycling and composting, buying quality items, and getting out of the crazed consumer mindset. It also means keeping only the things that are useful and I super duper love and getting rid of the rest. It is hard to live any kind of life when you feel over burdened by what I call "the junk".

I know my current definition doesn't sound too hard. After all, I am not ploughing fields using horses or baking using a wood stove. But, it is tricky at times.

Making cleaners, making my own granola bars, sorting refuse, de-cluttering, thinking of menus and having energy to look after and nurture children all takes time. If we can hold onto our ideal and work towards that, we are a success.

I started the simple life by making my own cleaners. Vinegar is the greatest thing ever, who knew right. It was a small change but if you try too much too fast, you will quit. A drastic change, even when it is for the better, is hard on the system. Slow and steady is a great way to make a change. Once you have one thing down on your list, you can move onto the next.

One thing that I have found hard is to get out of the consumer mindset. My generation has been conditioned to thinking if you need something you go out and buy it, and our definition between an actual need and a want is somewhat skewed. All around us are billboards, flyers, advertisements, catchy jingles, the promises of happiness and the kids (and lets face it, us too) comparing their things with others. It is hard to see something that looks really awesome and not buy it. But it usually ends up as clutter or not being what we thought it was. What a waste, not only of money, but of space and energy.

So welcome to the simple life. The definition of the simple life is up to you. Never feel like a failure if you are not eating your own eggs or not making your own bread. Be happy with what you are able to do now. It is much nicer to be positive about our life and where we are heading. And that's the key we are heading somewhere. We are not stagnant. We are always heading to a place where we can truly become our best selves.